Official Languages Committee on June 13th, 2024

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I call the meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 106 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3) and the motion adopted by the committee on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, the committee is resuming its study of federal funding for minority-language post-secondary institutions. In fact, we will be concluding this study today with the witnesses we have before us.

Before beginning, I want to briefly discuss how to avoid acoustic accidents. We are all insiders, and most people are here in person. I will simply suggest that you consult the small card on the table. When you are speaking into the microphone, place your earpiece face down on the sticker placed on the table. To prevent any feedback, speak to only one person at a time where possible. Be careful, and do your best to make sure that there is only one microphone on at a time. Wait for the chair to allow you to speak to avoid any sound problems and thus prevent any injuries to our valued interpreters.

I'd like to welcome those who are here less often, and whom we are always pleased to see once again.

We are welcoming Ms. Julie Boyer, assistant deputy minister, official languages, heritage and regions, and Mr. Timothée Labelle, director, intergovernmental policy and programs, official languages, both from the Department of Canadian Heritage.

In fact, today's visit by the representatives of the Department of Canadian Heritage will conclude our study of post-secondary funding, which began further to a motion introduced by Mr. Beaulieu.

I'd like to welcome our friends from Canadian Heritage.

Ms. Boyer, as you know, you have the floor for five minutes, after which there will be questions for you and your colleagues. Go ahead please.

[Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Good morning to the committee members. I'm pleased to be here with you today.

I'd like to begin by underscoring the fact that we are meeting today on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

With me today is Timothée Labelle, the director of intergovernmental policy and programs at the official languages branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage. He's the director responsible for negotiating education agreements with the provinces, as well as funding to provide assistance in minority-language and second-language learning.

Thank you for inviting us to appear further to the appearance of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Mr. Randy Boissonnault, just over a month ago in connection with the study of federal funding for minority-language post-secondary institutions.

You are already perfectly well aware of the fact that ensuring access to quality post-secondary education in the minority language is a crucial issue for our communities. Beyond instruction and teaching as such, post-secondary funding has even broader positive outcomes, including community development and better employment prospects, which of course help to offset the workforce shortage.

But you know as well as I do that many Canadian minority-language post-secondary institutions are experiencing funding problems. This issue was referred to in the media by stakeholders during the 2022 cross-Canada official languages consultations in connection with our action plan, and during the estates general on francophone minority post-secondary education.

That's also why the federal government supports the post-secondary sector in various ways, and will continue to do so. For example, there is the funding of up to $128 million over four years, starting this year, to support minority-language post-secondary education. Under the action plan for official languages, funding for the 2023 to 2028 period was announced at the end of last year. These investments, it shouldn't be forgotten, are in addition to the $30.4 million that had been announced in the 2021 budget for the 2023–2024 period.

Furthermore, the federal government is working very closely with provincial and territorial governments, even though education falls under their jurisdiction, and they play a leading role in creating vital and stimulating places to live in minority-language communities.

Furthermore, the federal government is currently negotiating new bilateral agreements, as well as the protocol for agreements for minority-language education and second-language instruction, with the provincial and territorial governments to support our official language minority communities.

Thank you for having us today. We look forward to answering your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Ms. Boyer. That took you barely three minutes and 12 seconds.

We will now begin, as you know, with the first interactive round of six-minute questions with each of the political parties.

Mr. Joël Godin, the first vice-chair of this committee, will begin.

You have the floor for six minutes, Mr. Godin.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses, Ms. Boyer, whom we see regularly, and Mr. Labelle, whom we've met on a few occasions.

Thank you for being here this morning, and for having travelled from Montreal to Ottawa. I make the trip between Quebec City and Ottawa every week, so I understand what you've been through. Your trip is a little shorter, but I'd like to thank you for being here this morning.

As it happens, my first question is for you, and for the clerk. Ms. Mondou, a deputy minister at the Department of Canadian Heritage, is responsible for official languages. She is usually here.

Was she invited?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Apparently not.

Nevertheless, we are happy to have our witnesses here today. The clerk has informed me that we invited the officials. It's at the request of committee members that officials from the Department of Canadian Heritage appear. We were told that Ms. Mondou was unavailable, but that they would send people who could give precise answers to our questions.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Okay.

I'm going to take advantage of your presence to ask you some questions, because I'd like to understand how things work at the Department of Canadian Heritage. There's no department of official languages. What I understand is that official languages falls under the authority of Canadian Heritage, and that officials like Ms. Labelle handle official languages.

So official languages has no portfolio or money. Mr. Boissonnault has to consult the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Can you help me figure that out?

[Julie Boyer]

I'd be happy to.

The Minister of Canadian Heritage is Ms. Pascale St‑Onge. Authority with respect to official languages, which had been with Minister St‑Onge, were transferred by decree to Minister Boissonnault.

That means that all funds administered for official languages or to be used for the promotion of bilingualism, such as the official languages support programs, are now managed and signed by Minister Boissonnault. He does not need to go through Minister St‑Onge.

My department handles official languages and heritage. For heritage, meaning museums, I report to Minister St‑Onge; for everything pertaining to official languages, I report to Minister Boissonnault.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Do you have the decree that describes this delegation of powers?

[Julie Boyer]

I don't think I have it with me.

Do you have it, Mr. Labelle? I believe it was sent to the committee chair.

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

A letter was sent to all the committee members. We received it. The Prime Minister issued a decree to assign full responsibility for official languages to Mr. Boissonnault. If the letter was sent a month ago, we could always have it circulated again if Mr. Godin hasn't read it. What Ms. Boyer said is clear, and the letter was sent to everyone, I understand.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

The document confirming that was indeed sent.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I'm not asking you for confirmation, Mr. Chair.

I want to be very clear. What I'm asking is whether we have the wording of the delegation of powers from the minister to the official languages minister.

Mr. Chair, could you give me an update on my speaking time—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I had deducted 20 seconds. Let's say that you still have just over two minutes.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Two minutes?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

My clock shows that four minutes and 20 seconds have gone by.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

You interrupted me to ask the clerk a question. Then Mr. Serré had a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

You're absolutely right, Mr. Godin.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

There is a point of order. I didn't have time to say so, because my microphone wasn't working.

I'll take this moment to inform you that we are going to circulate the document, which we received in April, to all members of the committee.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

How much time do I have left?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

You have two minutes more.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

That means I have four minutes left.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

No.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Well, two minutes—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Let's clear that up right now.